How Holland & Barrett embedded responsible sourcing at scale and turned supply chain data into real-world impact
Holland & Barrett is one of the world’s leading health and wellness retailers, operating across multiple markets with a global supply chain spanning both own-label and branded products.
The challenge
As Holland & Barrett’s supply chain grew in scale and complexity, the business recognised an opportunity to match that growth with a more structured, data-led approach to responsible sourcing. Building a consistent framework across a diverse, global supplier base required both clear standards and a commitment to supporting suppliers in meeting them.
The health and wellness sector presents particular considerations in this regard. A supplier base that includes many smaller producers means that improving standards requires as much focus on capability-building and education as it does on monitoring and compliance. Supplier awareness and readiness varies considerably, and a uniform approach rarely achieves lasting improvement.
With the regulatory and customer landscape evolving, growing expectations around human rights due diligence made it clear that the next stage of Holland & Barrett’s responsible sourcing programme needed to be built on consistent, site-level data shared across the business, not managed through siloed processes.
The objective was clear: develop a scalable model that could drive genuine improvement across the supply chain, support credible reporting, and embed responsible sourcing into how the business operates at every level.
The solution
Holland & Barrett implemented Sedex as the central platform for supplier data, risk management, and responsible sourcing across both own-label and branded supplier programmes. Sedex was integrated directly into supplier onboarding requirements, codes of conduct, and cross-functional processes involving sourcing, technical, and sustainability teams. This ensured that responsible sourcing was embedded into core business operations rather than managed as a standalone function.
Recognising that supplier engagement is as important as supplier requirements, Holland & Barrett invested in structured, ongoing support. This included weekly drop-in sessions, education on Sedex and SMETA, and a clear focus on demonstrating the practical benefits of participation, including shared audits, reduced duplication, and lower costs compared to independent auditing approaches.
A distinctive feature of Holland & Barrett’s model is its Global Production Centre (GPC), a co-packing facility producing millions of units annually. By embedding Sedex and SMETA audits into GPC operations, the business has established a consistent, standardised baseline across sites—enabling the systematic tracking of social and environmental performance, early identification of risks, and the effective implementation of corrective action plans across both suppliers and sub-suppliers and customers.
Supplier scorecards using SMETA ratings, structured around a RAG system, support the escalation and remediation of higher-risk suppliers. This data feeds directly into internal working groups and leadership reporting, ensuring that supply chain risk is visible and acted upon at a business level.
Holland & Barrett also participates actively in Sedex’s global community, connecting with other retailers and buyers to exchange insights, align on best practices, and support more consistent approaches across shared supply chains.
The impact
- Site-level insight across the supply chain, replacing fragmented oversight
- Own-label and branded suppliers aligned under a single responsible sourcing framework
- Reduced audit duplication and cost through shared SMETA audits
Embedding Sedex across operations has given Holland & Barrett a consistent, scalable foundation for supplier oversight. Structured onboarding processes, demonstrated improvement in supplier standards over time, and stronger alignment across sourcing, technical, and sustainability teams are among the measurable outcomes of this approach.
The efficiency gains are tangible: shared audits have reduced duplication, and scalable digital processes have replaced manual approaches. The more significant outcome, however, has been the integration of responsible sourcing into core business decision-making. Supply chain data now informs leadership reporting, cross-functional working groups, and supplier engagement strategies across the organisation.
Holland & Barrett has also used Sedex data to support targeted, worker-focused programmes in key sourcing regions. Using Sedex data to establish baselines, identify areas of risk and opportunity, and measure improvements over time, the business has delivered initiatives focused on health and nutrition, financial literacy, and worker wellbeing.
“By combining Sedex’s risk assessment tools with site-level data, we’re able to establish clear baselines, identify areas of highest risk and opportunity, and turn insight into action delivering targeted initiatives that drive measurable improvements for workers across our supply chain”
John Miller, Group Product, Technical and Sourcing Director, Holland and Barrett
What made this work
Holland & Barrett identifies three principles that underpinned the success of its approach. First, starting with a clear baseline across the supply chain to ensure that engagement is targeted and evidence based. Second, using shared platforms to reduce duplication and improve efficiency across the supplier base. Third, prioritising genuine supplier engagement and support rather than monitoring alone. The weekly drop-in sessions illustrate this principle in practice: they signal that the programme is collaborative and focused on building capability, not simply extracting compliance.
Cross-functional alignment was equally important to the programme’s effectiveness. By integrating Sedex data into leadership reporting and internal working groups, the responsible sourcing team ensured that supply chain risk was understood and acted upon at an organisational level.
Looking ahead
Holland & Barrett continues to develop its approach to responsible sourcing, with plans to expand its use of data to support areas including gender equity and worker wellbeing, and to scale programmes across additional sourcing regions. As legislation such as the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive comes into force, the infrastructure already in place provides a strong foundation for meeting new requirements effectively and consistently.
“Health should not be a privilege. It is a human right.” “We don’t just focus on the health of our consumers, but also the health of our supply chains and for this we need a deeper understanding of our supply chains through data ”
Ramesh Panavalli, Head of Responsible Sourcing & Human Rights, Holland & Barrett
Looking to build a consistent, scalable approach to responsible sourcing?
Contact our team to find out how Sedex can help you improve supply chain visibility, engage suppliers more effectively, and drive measurable impact across your operations.
